Saturday, July 30, 2005

:)

I want to thank you, all of you, from the bottom of my heart, for all the wonderful emails that I and my family received...And for all the signatures on the petition...For my lovely freinds Liminal and Najma for the blog of http://giveusourkhalidback.blogspot.com/...For my Great friend Emigre from Iraqblogcount.blogspot.comRiverbnd, i can never thank you enough...For the Committee to Protect Bloggers ...And for for the emails that actually flooded the email account of the Iraqi embassy in the USA...For all those who took the time to write demanding freeing me in their websites: Juan Cole and justin alexander and God knows they are so many that I cant mention them all so I hope they forgive me for that...For all the comments on Raed's blog and the comments on my blog...For everyone that took the effort of making a legal attempt to defend me or to motivate human rights organizations to do that...For everyone that had me in his thoughts, and specially for everyone that made even a tiny small prayer for me...For all of you, great deep thanks, from all my heart, I am very thankful and very grateful, and I promise to do all what's possible to free you when you are arrested for reading our blogs:)you showed us -once again- that we humans have strong-enough bonds that no government can break, no administration can change.again, thank you all very very much, I wish you all the best, your support means more than you can imagine to me and to my family, who really needed it through these hard days.I hope that you will never have to face such an experience, and I want you to know that all of you are in my thoughts and prayers:)me*)

It is so important that you are sharing this. I myself only found this website through using the "Next Blog" button.

It is horrifying to know that this goes on. And it is awe-inspiring to read about the spirit you, and others, are showing by speaking out, and that so many people have been doing what little they can to affect the situation.

Human beings have a fundamental potential for greatness.. we act either constructively or destructively.However much destruction a human being is capable of.. the same human being has the potential to CREATE and CONSTRUCT to the same extent.

Our negative capacitiy only mirrors our positive capacity.Thankfully so many of us are steering away from the destructive, and engaging in the constructive - making our own lives and the lives of others better.

Keep pushing to expand and develop your fundamental greatness, your courage and creativity..and continue to inspire others to do the same.My eys well up with tears of joy to see how people have reached out and reacted to your accounts.. I hope they will also continue to strive for never-ending personal victories for the greater good.

I am certainly inspired to do the same.

My heart trembles for the individuals who are affected by the terrible examples of human anger, greed and stupidity, that surface so vividly in the situations your accounts describe.

But the more human courage, compassion and wisdom is unleashed, the poison can be turned into medicine.The shadows can certainly be quenched by the light.

I breathed a big sign of relief after reading your account, which was both horrifying and inspiring. I was so afraid that you would be physically harmed in a major way, or worse.

I, like many others I’m sure, wish I could have done more to get you free, and done it faster. Anyway, I feel better now knowing that you will be there pulling for me if BB comes down on the head of this old stubborn activist.

I await hearing how I, and others, can help you and your family to not only spread the word about these inequities, but also help some of the individual unfortunates.

Good to have you back. I was wondering why you hadn't blogged in a while until raed posted you'd been arrested. I hope you can continue to post regularly now. Iwas happy to see when you reopened the postings section.

We often find new things to be thankful for, and appreciation for life, after traumatic experiences.May God grant you many.

As many others have said I'm also very happy and relieved that you are now with your family and I hope you will be able to go ahead with your studies this year - can your do that in Jordan? - I admire the fact that you don't let the current regime intimidate you and speak out for the current detainees but Iraq doesn't seem to be a safe place to be for you now.

I've looked up what our local branch of Amnesty International was doing for Iraq, they have published two reports a few months ago on the unlawful conditions of detention, but Amnesty reports can't put pressure on the Iraqi Government, right now only the US Government could do that if their was a strong campaign from the american public. But when you see the indifferent reaction to the Guantanamo scandal, there's no hope for that.

However if your family knows of any NGO action that could have any effect on the detainees' situation, post it on your blogs, many of us will be ready to help them.

I also remember that Raed mentionned that another family member had disappeared at the same time as you did. I hope all is well for him too

Martin Luther King said "Our Lives begin to end the moment we remain silent about the things that matter". We respect your courage and that of your family. Martin Kuther King would be deeply ashamed today of how low USA has sunk.

I share the same joy to have you back and blogging againWe're with you.

Hans, I agree with you about human potential, and I believe each person who decides to be constructive, loving and creative, against destructiveness, starts the same inspiration in others, and makes a real contribution to the decision of others to join us.For that, thanks, khalid, thanks Hans, and let's go on with our mission

An honest man or woman's freedom is worth more than all the oil in the world. Some will take a long while to figure this out...welcome back. As for anonymous above it seems strange for you to say that about those who took so much heat over their description of the American junior gulag.

I got your message saying you'd deleted my post by mistake - thanks :) I can't remember my exact words, but at your request I'll try to recreate the post.It was in response to a comment (now gone) where an anonymous person was blaming "the Jews" for supposedly infiltrating and corrupting an international humanitarian organization. But I asked this anonymous poster to think again about blaming Jews. Who is in charge of Guantanamo Bay? Israel? What religion is actively practiced by the two leaders of the military "crusade" into Iraq? Who blessed the soldiers before they marched on to massacre 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica? A Rabbi? Not likely - they were pretty much cleared out of that area a long time ago. Blaming one group and everyone in it for your troubles is not only overly simplistic, it's a step down a very dangerous road that usually ends up with situations like, for example, people getting abducted and imprisoned in torture jails for reading something on the internet.

Many people prayed for Khalid in mosques, churches, synagogues, temples, and alone, all over the world. Why does the fate of just one person matter so much? Because to any decent person, no matter which faith lights his or her path up the mountain, everything is about caring about the lives and dignity of each one of our brothers and sisters. People who prayed for Khalid, and pray for others who are still prisoners, not one of them deserves to be slapped with the label of "enemy" - Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, or Jew.

Thanks again Khalid. You just go ahead and be totally ruthless with that Delete button :D It's beyond great to have you back :)

I was not indicting the Jews as a religion or a peoples. Just pointing out that the more activist zionists, a rather large organized influential and vociferous group, have taken it upon themselves to create such an uproar at Amnesty whenever Israel *was* criticized, that Amnesty has cowed to them, something Amnesty should be the last organization to do for anyone. Like I said, some things are easier to decry, some things are more difficult. Amnesty should not be taking the easy routes.

Thank you, all of you, my good freinds, my brothers and sisters:)we will publish soon something more detailed about our campaign for the rights of Iraqi prisoners.Ibn Battuta, please email me if possible, K: sorry again! would be very nice of you if you could email me, nofrills: thank you for your translation, you japanese people cant be any more polite, i begged you a million time to translate as much as you like of our blogs without need for permission everytime:)everyone, thank you, and please think with us: what can we do to gain more rights to people getting arrested in Iraq everyday?contact people that you know that are active in the fields of civil rights and human rights, any ideas and suggestions would be much appreciated.you are all, in my prayers..:) Khalid*

Khalid,It's inspiring to see undaunted courage in the face of oppresion. I hope you always keep an open mind, and keep flourishing on the weight of your convictions. "The only real freedom anyone has is figuring things out for themselves". I do fear, though, that your message and story needs to be heard by more Iraqis in Iraq. I wish you the best of luck!

You're welcome. It was (in your case) and is (the case of the others) the only right thing to do, Again, if a truly tolerant and basically democratic society is to function, none of this is tolerable, acceptable or justifiable, unless, of course,democratic behavior is not really your goal and covert control is. And a note to some of the other Americans such as MadTom- if you would not condone similar behavior in the US, why tolerate and abet this in other places?

Rebecca (down in SoCal)(PS: DJ's presentation down here went very well....)

Lord Clark, max taylor thats very kind of you, thank you:)Rebecca:), i totally agree..Rachil, thank you very much, i appreciate what you did very much, its for the best of Iraqis to have this story heard as much as possible around the world.ano, 18:09: good idea, i will email them, thanks for reminding me:)it would be nice of you to sign your posts guys:) just so we dont use the time of posting to identify each other:)take care:) me*

So good to hear that you're out and safe. One small reassuring note: Senator John Kerry's office actually responded to my request to investigate your situation and work for your release. By the time they responded, you had already made it back to Jordan, but I did find it remarkable that Kerry's office might just be listening (despite their muddled stance on the occupation).

Thank you for posting on your blog so folks can understand the gravity of the situation, violation of human rights...

Khalid, I am so thankful that you are home and OK. I have been keeping up with your blog, and those of your family, and I am so grateful to you for your courage in speaking out. But mostly I am relieved that you are safe. Keep on rockin'.

To the dubya groupies who keep on saying war is not pretty and Iraqis should just live with that situation. What don't you understand about this war in Iraq being illegal since no connection to 911 and no WMD found? Can you justify this war based on the reasons given to us before it was started? Some dubya groupies say Saddam was in the process of acquiring WMD from other countries which is also untrue since we were told Saddam could reach the US in 45 minutes with his nuclear weapons which by the way don't exist. Another reason dubya groupies have come up with is that we wanted to remove a tyrrant who killed innocent people, this sounds great, but what about the rest of the world's tyrrants? Why not clean our own back yard first ex: Castro? Why ally ourselves with other tyrrants of the world sauch as the leaders of uzbekistan and sudan? Maybe since they are on "our side" (they do not restrict their resources to us). So its ok to support a tyrrant as long as they benefit us. This sounds exactly like when we supported saddam while he was killing his own people.

I think you should ban anonymous comments. If the people are not brave enough to post who they are even if it is a screen name they shouldn't be allowed to post. Additionally to all you anonymous commentors if you are afraid you will "get in trouble" for reading don't think posting anonymously will protect you because my friends the government can trace every ISP that hits this blog. They have caught several murderers this way. (Not from here but in the United States). So be proud show who you are. They will get you in the end if they really want you!

TALKING POINTS:*Please take a moment to write to your representatives and ask them tospeak out against the illegal detention of children in Iraq andPalestine. Reports on the abuse at Abu Ghraib indicate that thePentagon has proof (photographs and video) that detained Iraqichildren are being sodomized and raped by American soldiers. InIsrael, Palestinian children are also being held indiscriminately andillegally in violation of international law and human rights law.Reports by Israeli human rights organizations indicate that like Iraqichildren, Palestinian child detainees are regularly tortured and notallowed visits by either the Red Cross or their parents.

* In a report written last year called, 'Stolen Youth: The Politics ofIsrael's Detention of Palestinian Children' the authors interviewed ateenager who gave the following description of his treatment by theIsraeli military: "Three more people in masks came into the room.They blindfolded me, put a hood over my head... they kicked andslapped me. They beat me with a plastic pipe and whatever they couldget their hands on. I couldn't see anything because I was blindfolded.I just felt the blows. That lasted ten to fifteen minutes... Laterthey stood me on a chair and told me to grab a pipe that was fixed tothe wall. They removed the chair from under me and left me hanging inthe air, with my handcuffed hands holding onto the pipe and the weightof my body, hanging in the air, drawing my hands downwards. They leftthe room." - Ismail Sabatin, 17 years old. Palestinian children beingheld by the Israeli military range between the ages of 9-17 years old,many of these children are being held without charges, others havebeen held for months for merely throwing stones at Israeli tanks.Tell your representatives that because we give $12 billion dollars inAmerican welfare to Israel a year that we have a moral obligation todemand that the Israelis end this despicable treatment of Palestinianchildren.

*Treatment of Iraqi children under the U.S. occupation forces is nobetter. Last week the Pentagon blocked the release of pictures ofIraqi children being raped and sodomized by American soldiers aspublication of those pictures would have been a public relationsdisaster of the U.S. In an expose done by the Sunday Herald late lastyear a child witness of the abuse at Abu Ghraib gave a statement toinvestigators saying that he witnessed the rape of a boy who was 15years old: "The kid was hurting very bad and they covered all thedoors with sheets. Then, when I heard the screaming I climbed thedoor … and I saw [the soldier's name is deleted] who was wearing amilitary uniform." The witness then described in graphic details howhe witnessed that soldier rape "the little kid".

*The abuse of children by the United States and by the U.S.'sstaunchest ally in the Middle East is unacceptable; it's time that weheld our government accountable for the blatant violations of humanrights occurring in Iraq and Palestine. Tell your representativesthat you feel that the illegal detention of Palestinian and Iraqichildren is deplorable and that as your elected officials you expectthem to speak out against the cruel treatment of children. Remindyour elected officials that none of these actions in Iraq or Palestinecould occur without the tacit approval of the U.S. government.

EMAIL AND OR CALL THE WHITE HOUSEWHITE HOUSE COMMENTS LINE: 202-456-1111WHITE HOUSE SWITCHBOARD: 202-456-1414WHITE HOUSE FAX: 202-456-2461===============================Citizens for Fair Legislation is a grassroots organization committedto encouraging a fair domestic and foreign policy with an emphasis onthe US/Arab world.http://www.cflweb.org

Khalid,I am so thrilled to hear to hear about your release. I'm sure you don't remember me, you must get tons of email, but I emailed you back in November just after our elections here in the US. I wanted you to know that there are many of us who do not support this evil administration or their illegal war. I wanted you to know that many of us care deeply about what happens to you and your country and are working very hard to make changes. It's not easy though. I read your blog and those of your family members regularly and have made many people here in the States read them to see what life is really like for Iraqis. I was devistated when I heard of your kidnapping. And now I'm am elated to hear that you are free from them. You and your family have been such an inspiration to me. The strength and humor that you all have shown during all that you have been through is utterly amazing. I don't know how you do it. But we could all take a lesson from you. I wish you and your family much love and peace. Please stay safe.

Dear Sir:This is Sunshine from Mosul, I started to read your blog a few days ago, & I like it very much. (So is my mother). I was talking with my friend madcanuck & he told me about you.I will read your blog always. Please keep writing, we all love your writings & thoughts. Take care… Sunshine…

I am happy for your release to but very concerned - I notice Riverbend has NOT been blogging for a while- July 15th.Please also see onemillionreasons.org a peace petition that will be delivered in WDC after the Sept 24 PEACE actions. Thank you!

Hi Khalid :)The CBC now has an update on their website. I would like to think it's because I spent some quality time last month in the CBC office in my city explaining what I knew about Khalid's situation to a couple of fascinated staffers, or it could be the email I sent to a CBC Newsworld producer... probably not even close, but regardless of where they got the information it's nice the national media is at least giving Khalid's story some recognition.

I have to admit, I sorely failed you, Liminal and Najma on the "giveusbackourkhalid" blog - Lim kept patiently sending me email invites and I kept trying to open them but somewhere along the line either technology or my incompetency was letting us down - as I commented to Liminal at the time; "why anyone thinks a diarist is dangerous enough to abduct when we can't even operate blogger is beyond me".

hi,after reading your blog i am left with no words to say..... we all know tht the situation there is bad, but hearing a first hand account shows you the real harsh truth!!love the way you write and your attitude towards life.... keep it up mate...i shall pray for your country and do my lil bit to help spread your msg...

Khalid,Its great to have you back. I have been an avid reader of your blog, Raed's and Riverbend's. I offer you all my sympathies for the ordeal you have been through. I am an Indian by birth living in the U.S after having recently completed my education here. My sentiments towards the U.S led war in Iraq border are no different from yours and in an effort to alleviate the burden of my own hypocrisy(of continuing to live in a country which is doing so many wrongs), I intend offer my minisclue contribution in your efforts to ensure basic rights for Iraqi detainees. I will send emails to all the contacts mentioned in your and Raed's blogs. I wish you and your family and the whole of the middle east, more freedom and peace in the future. On an aside, I have not seen Riverbend post anything on her blog for nearly a month and it has gotten me concenred about her well being. Do you have any information about how she might be doing? I would appreciate a reply from you to Arun DOT Swaminathan AT gmail DOT com

Freedom, Peace and Security will NEVER be won nor secured by the sword, another war will always need to be fought to end the fear of the sharp blade against the vital thoughts of change.

The last war will be waged without soldiers or freedom fighters, without blood shed or death, no rockets red glare, no bombs bursting anywhere.

The last war will not cause suffering, broken hearts, splintered spirits, or shattered bodies and souls, the creation of nature and man will not be crushed under the rolling thunder of armored machines, chemicals will not rain down from above, maniacal viruses will not attack from within, suicide terror raids, genocide, and nuclear holocaust will have no place in the last war, the casualties will be the end of competition, industry, government and religion which plan for and carry out the destruction, addiction and control of others.

The last war will be waged BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE, a war where all things will be TREATED as equal, a war employing weapons of MASS COOPERATION, battles fought and won with tolerance for all, understanding of difference, awareness of responsibility, a war in which compassion and love conquer and destroy the final evil enemy of humankind, the last war, the mother of all wars, the war to end all wars, must be waged upon fear.

We the People, declare a global war on fear.

How do we the people start this war, how do we wage this war, how do we the people win the last war ?

We start by turning away from those who support fear, by denying our services, our employment, our political, financial, moral and spiritual support to those who build and profit from the economy of competition, addiction and war.

We wage the last war by demanding that our energy and environment be clean and renewable, by demanding that the thousands of billions of dollars spent yearly on making the weapons and means of war be shifted and added to the nearly meaningless hundreds of billions which is reluctantly parted out for social, health, education and domestic infrastructure.

We win the last war by simply entrusting our votes, our support, our children's and grandchildren's lives to those of US whose words and actions DELIVER love and truth.

To all who want peace in America, now is the time to expose the corruption. We urge everyone to drop their schedules and go to Crawford, Texas right now. It's time to stage the Party to end all parties, camping out in the heat of texas will make for great tv (- ;

The truth has emerged, it's just a matter of getting it to the masses. They all Deliberately lied, they Used 9/11 as a pretext for war.

Now Bush, Cheney and all those dopes in Congress are on Vacation! While more innocent Americans and Iraqis continue to die everyday! It is an outrage!

America doesn't know thanks to the complicit corporate mediaAnd those that do know are not OK with these liars still in charge

Cindy Sheehan, who lost her son in Iraq and is now President of Gold Star Families for Peace, has vowed to stay in Crawford until she meets with Bush.

Massive Party in Crawford, Texas NOW. Somebody with money that wants to save America- buy tents and yurts and build the mini-city overnight.

EVERYONE that can play wanted on stage Now. Are there any honest politicians left? If so, please end your vacation and Go To Crawford... and you make $160,000 per year, maybe you could buy some train tickets for some of your unemployed constituents as well, eh?

Are there any professional athletes out there that give a sh*t that this mofo in the White House lied, tricking and forcing thousands of poor American youth to throw away their lives, so these rich bastards could loot our treasury, killing for their dreams of global conquest? And all those basketball stars- don't you care about your homies in the hood? Go to Crawford, speak out and encourage youth to do the same.

Remember- we can't allow them to divide and conquer us- are the cops billionaires? No. So they should be on our side- they just don't know... they've been fed propaganda since the day they were born and they really don't get it. Will somebody please (i would if i could make it to texas) get this bush-terror mp3 (more)and play it for the Crawford police.

Riverbend can't post because she is on the run. Her father was a senior Baathist official who served the party as a foreign official (allowing her education in flawless English) and those folks are on the whole not faring well in Iraq.

Many have gone to Jordan and are living very, very well.There was a lot of Iraqi money taken by the Baathists when they left Iraq.

Riverbend's father probably has acquired a lot of money from the blood of Iraqis. Don't worry, she'll be okay although she may be a pariah in Iraq, her family like most Baathists probably sent enough blood money abroad to live very, very well.

When she settles into a new place, she'll probably start writing again.

I just found this. I am amazed at how easily one can be victimized there. Since I believe in the freedom of Palestine I have visited Hamas sites. I know what they would do to me if they could, but I live in America where I only have to worry about Bush and his gang. We will have yet another anti-war demonstration in Washington, DC. on the 24th of Sept. For all who can, join us. My prayers for Riverbend are offered. May God keep her safe.

But can you deal with the truth that has gotten countless people detained, tortured, and sometimes executed in Islamic countries?? :

Prophet Mohammad (SAW) slept with an 8 year old Ayesha. Now this is common practice back then. But if Prophet Mohammad (SAW) wants us to obey his orders in the 21st century, then how come he does acts that are illegal and immoral in the 21st century?

Your information is incorrect. Nowhere will you be able to find a legitimate, authentic unchallenged source that 'proves' the claim you are making with regard to Muhammed and Aisha. As you are just a bigot, not a historian, there is little point in entering into debate with you as you cannot read Arabic and you don't know how to treat source material or access and evaluate other, conflicting accounts. Sane posters can learn a little more here.

And how about charlatan Mohammad assassinating and torturing his opponents? Or that he owned and raped slaves. These are all well reported and are part of the historical record. You dont need Arabic to read about this as translationas are abound.

Why dont you accept the fact that Mohammad did commit atrocities in his life time, many of which was common practice back in 621 Arabia.

Your cheap revisionism is not going to wipe the record clean. Question is why narrow minded people like you believe without any shred of evidence and reason that Mohammad was some sort of Saint. He was more of a politician and a ruler.

Hi guy!thank you for your lovely comments:)i deleted a bunch of spam comments and comments that aim to smear the reputaion of fine and truthful people with no evidences at all.i wish you all a nice day.:) khalid*

khalid, I'm glad you're OK and safe. I was afraid you were taken because of blogging and am sad to see I was right (and even worse it was just for reading blogs)! I haven't always agreed with everything you've written but its obvious you're no terrorist, anyone with any familarity with English can see that. One would think that they would actually have someone who understood the blog you were reading (like the judge) check it out before they arrested you! With all the violence and bombs in Iraq at this moment I still can't get over the Iraqi police/intelligence wasting time and manpower investigating bloggers and web surfers.

Khalid, I am so glad you're ok. Would you be interested in doing a radio interview or writing an article on your opinion of how you saw things being run from behind bars? Bush keeps saying how the US cannot leave until the Iraqis are trained and can protect the country. If you were to write about what you saw and how everyday Iraqi's know about the ING, you could write a powerful article. What do you think?

Khalid - Its great you're out. The stories of the guys left behind is truly horrifying. Its time for us to keep up the pressure on Bush & Blair Look out for our demonstration in London on September 24. I think there's one in Washington on the same day.

Please know that not all Americans support the policies of their government and the occupation of Iraq. I am sorry for the atrocities committed by my country in the name of freedom. I applaud your courage to speak out.

I hadn't read Riverbend's blog for a while and when I stopped at it tonight, I read about your frightening experience. I am glad you are back with your family. It was hard to read about what you went through and those other men who are still there; very scary, indeed! You have a good blog here and I will be looking forward to reading more. By the way, it may not mean much but, I am ashamed of what the U.S. has, and is, doing to your country and the people.

I just now looked at Family in Baghdad's blog -- i used to look at it every day, but then stopped about 6 months ago -- I was too depressed about this horrible war and what it is doing to the Iraqi people and to the American people and the world. I'm glad Khalid is safe and glad the family is in Jordan. I read about Riverbend in a local paper -- her words are a part of a play here in New York. I always, from the beginning, loved Riverbend's blog -- she is a wonderful writer and her words deserve all the attention she can get. Sincerely, Nancy Haiduck (from the Bronx)

100 blogs in 100 days, Day 1: Solution WatchThe first blog off the rank for 100 blogs in 100 days is from Brian Benzinger. Blog: Solution Watch About: "Four months ago, I had an idea for a blog that would inform my visitors about solutions that can be ...Hey, you have a great blog here! I'm definitely going to bookmark you!

I have a flocculents site/blog. It pretty much covers flocculents related stuff.

My heart broke in pieces when I read your story. As an American, I'm trying really hard to learn as much as I can about the truth of what's going on. It's hard since our media refuses to tell the complete truth. Thank you for this blog and God Bless you.

ya khalid, shukran shukran shukran for this account, wallahi...it is so important that voices like yours are heard in amrika. ana taaliba fi new york wa badrus al-3arabiyya fi'il-jami3a. i will keep reading your blog. in the meanwhile please feel free to check out mine: www.livejournal.com/~suneel_suneela. allah khallayk ya 3azizi.

As both an American and a soldier, I was mortified to read this account... I have never been to your country, but I have repeatedly heard of the "progress" America has been making there... If this is progress, then sir, I apologize most profusely for what my countrymen have allowed to propigate throughout your land.

Our soldiers do wish your people well-- I'm sorry we can't rectify this situation at once... I only pray that this kind of brutality well eventually end, and that your country comes to know peace and democracy.

This is outrageous. I found this blog looking for more information on Iraq after watching "gunner palace" and reading something on the net about it being a light potrayal of the situation, missing the "ugly" parts.

This is similar to the way the government deals with political dissidents in latin america.

I was reading about Tony Blair going against "hate preachers". Man, this is hate preaching: soldiers breaking into your house in the middle of the night, kidnapping your loved ones, sending them to a dungeon, where you know they're going to be tortured. That is terrorism, and it's coming right from the institutions, and the governments.

Sorry to hear Raed has decided to close the blog but I can understand what he has had to deal with.

Fear is a powerful tool as our leaders continue to remind us. Hopefully the Iraqi people will get to live in peace soon and the fear mongering that our politicians and media have been using to justify their existence will soon become a thing of the past.

Perhaps we need to elect psychics so we can at least have credible seers of the future in power.

i set up this account as a parity to raed's blog. i am only doing this so comments can be posted to his blog. his posts will be posted here UNALTERED so he can relinquish responsibility of the consequences of having comments on his own blog. I hope people will greet this with understanding. I'm doing this for you raed.

Raed and the rest of you must not stop your regular blogs. It is vital that your message get's out and is heard. There are many of us who wish the best for Iraq, but realise that things are not going the right way at the moment.

All of the REGULAR bloggers from Baghdad have gone silent. What is happening? I come from a very long line of paranoid Iraqis, so of course: I asume something must be wrong. How happy I will be, if I am wrong! If there is nothing in a week, I will assume "No answer is an answer." Where is the Magician/Sahir from Raeds? It is 10 days and counting...

Sahir has a history of affecting people's hearts and disappearing. He has valid security issues but it seems he uses them to his advantage. Don't expect him turn up at any of his old haunts, he never goes back. He doesn't do relationships well.

I know in your own weird way you are trying to make me feel better but you are not helping. It is now 17 days since anyone has heard from Sahir. I'm trying not to panic. If anyone has heard from Sahir please get in touch with me.

your blog has made me think twice about what it means to be Iraqi. I have never lived/visited Iraq and now that I live in Canada I sometimes find myself focussing more on my Islamic identity only... I think I need to revist what having Iraqi heritage means for me. Thanks and good luck. I can't offer you anything except al-du3aa2. Stay fast with saltul-7aaja.

Not what I was searching for, but none the less and interesting blog here. Thanks for putting it up. I've enjoyed reading alot of the text here. I got you bookmarked for the future, I'll be back.

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